A car bomb exploded late on Saturday close to the recently re-opened Italian embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, a security official said.

A Reuters reporter at the scene said roads had been cordoned off near the site of the blast. A security official said the explosion had happened behind the Egyptian embassy, which is closed, and about two streets away from the Italian embassy. No casualties had been reported, said the official, who did not want to be named.

Italy became the first Western country to reopen its embassy in Tripoli earlier this month. Most countries closed their embassies in 2014 and early 2015 after heavy fighting and attacks in the city.